Alpine occupies a special place in the French automotive industry. Originally an independent, small brand of Jean Redele, for several decades it had a history inseparable from the history of Renault: from design to factories, from design to sales points. A beautiful French story that combines elegance, innovation, motorsport and nostalgia. Extinct in 1995, the Alpine Phoenix rose from the ashes in 2018at the launch of the new A110, which marked the long-awaited return of this legendary brand.

But we know the Alpine epic in its broad outlines less its deep, intimate and unusual story. Did you know, for example, that the very first Alpine was based on the Renault 4 CV? what The Alpine A108 was sold to Willys Brazil, a manufacturer of jeeps? That in 1992 for the Olympic Games in Albertville, the entire Alpine massif received special series “Olympic 92”. dressed in white?

A beautiful illustrated book for Christmas

It’s about digging up all those old memories and making the many aspects of Alpine known to as many people as possible. the writer Maxim Jolly published the book “Les Flèches de Dieppe”, which reviews the entire saga of the manufacturer. In 300 pages and at least as many photos (including about fifty previously unpublished) we delve into the depths of the brand… Precisely in the early 1950s Norman Jean Redele, the youngest Renault dealer at the timebegins to transform 4 CVs to compete with them.

In 1952 he entered several races with Guy Lapchin, including the Monte Carlo Rally and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But the aerodynamics of the 4 CV is not suitable for such an undertaking: At the end of 1952, the Rédélé Spéciale, a streamlined 4CV, was born (redesigned by Michelotti and built at Carrozeria Allemano), which finally gives itself the means to achieve its ambitions. Finally, in terms of level, this car will allow Jean Redele to achieve great things, especially in the mountains, which will give him the idea of ​​a name for his future brand: Alpine was born in 1955!

Jokes on the pages

in this wonderful illustrated bookwhere the photos are as important as the text, the author tells in detail about this entire epic and about the numerous models of the brand: their design, their specifications at the time, their engineering or manufacturing limitations, the talents and means used to make them successful. In the lines we sustain our curiosity with numerous anecdotes and mysteries of the period. From the A106 to the A110, from the A310 to the last A610 released in 1995, to the current A110, described in detail in all its variants (Legend, Heritage, S, R and even Gendarmerie !), we open the history of Alpine in an interesting way through the pen of an enthusiast who already has 3 books on the saga of Renault Sport. ” Arrows of Dieppe “, Maxime Jolly, 2022, €39.

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